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McIntyre: Green and clean UK ceramics are leading the way

The ceramic industry's role as a trailblazer in creating green jobs and driving low-carbon innovation was showcased in Brussels this week.

Anthea McIntyre, Conservative MEP for the West Midlands, told an audience of fellow MEPs, EU officials and industry experts that in her own region alone thousands of jobs had been created in the development and manufacture of ceramic products that were reducing carbon emissions for the industry and its customers.

Miss McIntyre was chairing a panel on Promoting Green and Safe Jobs in the industry during a two day sitting of the European Parliament Ceramics Forum.

As vice chairman of the forum, she said she was proud to have seen first-hand how companies such as Hinton Perry & Davenhill in the West Midlands were investing in new energy efficient kilns.

She said: "There are many examples of how technical ceramics are contributing to the greening of industry. Ceramics companies produce filters are used in the oil and chemical industry. The produce novel refractories (kiln and furness linings) which reduce energy use, not just for the ceramic industry but for industries such as steel and glass. Technical ceramics are produced at many sites in the West Midlands across a wide range of companies including Mantec, Glen Dimplex and Morgan Advanced Materials.

"And we should always remember that ceramics are extremely durable, so they have a very low lifecycle carbon footprint."